AvX on Once Upon a Time Season Finale

By ABC.com | May 12th, 2012

This Sunday's season finale of Once Upon a Time marks a major milestone in the battle between good and evil, but that's not the only battle happening out there. In Marvel Comics, The Avengers are taking on the X-Men in a fight that could decide the future of the entire Marvel Universe in AvX!

Marvel.com's Arune Singh sat down with Once Upon a Time creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz to talk about AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, comics and the season finale.

Marvel.com: Once Upon a Time debuted to critical acclaim and some impressive ratings in an environment where launching new shows isn’t easy. What’s it been like to have such success?

Eddy Kitsis: For us this was a project of passion. We’ve had this idea for nine years and were very happy to get to bring it to life. It’s been very humbling to see how many people liked it because you never know when you do anything if people will enjoy it or not. The chances of success are so small in this business that we were just kind of blown away. At the same time it inspires you to work harder.

Marvel.com: This Sunday, we’ll get to see the season finale. What should fans expect from the end of this first season?

Adam Horowitz: I think that fans should expect that the story we started to tell this season in the pilot will reach a boiling point in the finale. We’re really excited to show them what comes next.

Marvel.com: One of the coolest things about Once Upon A Time is the sheer volume of Easter Eggs, especially the Marvel comics we’ve seen Henry read. What inspired the inclusion of comics?

Eddy Kitsis: Firstly, it was because these fairytales were the first stories that Adam and I ever heard but then naturally of course we went into comic books. For us, comic books are like fairytales in that they are about the same themes and the same kind of wish fulfillment. So it was only natural that Henry, a lover of stories, would love comic books. The first one we chose of course was the ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK and that was because of Damon Lindelof, who’s not only a good friend of ours but was a true godfather. This show probably wouldn’t get done without his help and advice; so we wanted to show our love to him as well.

Marvel.com: I know you guys are big Spider-Man fans, so have you ever hidden any of your favorite Spidey comics in the back there?

Eddy Kitsis: I don’t know if we’ve had a Spider-Man per se. We do like the idea that Storybrooke is the place where the drugstore still has a spinner rack. One of our favorite things was watching Regina holding a FANTASTIC FOUR.

Marvel.com: Was there a meaning behind the issue or did you just think FANTASTIC FOUR would just be cool for her to have?

Adam Horowitz: We thought it would be fun to have her hold a FANTASTIC FOUR and in our mind we like to think it wasn’t her buying it for Henry but for herself.

Eddy Kitsis: We think the evil queen has a thing for The Thing

Marvel.com: You’ve previously mentioned you grew up as fans of super heroes. Which ones were your favorites and why do you think you were so attracted to these characters when you were younger?

Adam Horowitz: I always loved Spider-Man; it’s just such a great wish fulfillment story combining morals about responsibility and power and what you do with it. The idea that any geeky kid could have something special about them; I think that’s one of the really powerful messages of these stories. Comic books really do that in a great way, allowing you to look at yourself and see what’s special about you.

Eddy Kitsis: I agree with Adam, Spider-Man was the one who always resonated with me. Everything he said, plus the fact that he was trying to win the girl. Who can’t relate to that in college and in high school, feeling like you are different from everyone else? Today though I would say I just want to be Tony Stark.

Marvel.com: Do you want the Iron Man armor or do you just want to be Tony Stark?

Eddy Kitsis: You know what? I’m not even greedy; I’m fine with just being Tony Stark. If I could have the suit as well that would be great, but I don’t need to be Iron Man. I just want to be Tony Stark.

Marvel.com: Now speaking on Tony Stark and the Avengers, this weekend’s episode will be the second time that we see AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #1 appear in the show. Previously, Henry had a copy when he was falling asleep and now there will be a copy in his backpack. What do you think made that comic particularly such a fun fit for the show?

Adam Horowitz: Well, one of the things about our show is that it’s a mash-up of fairytales: different characters from different stories finding themselves throw up against each other. I think Avengers Vs. X-Men does that too. That kind of excitement of taking all these disparate characters and throwing them together to see what happens. That is so fun. Avengers Vs. X-Men seems to express that for us.

Marvel.com: Many consider super heroes to be our modern mythology, taking the place of fairytales in times past. Why do you think they resonate so much with audiences now?

Eddy Kitsis: I think it’s interesting because the original Snow White came out in 1937 which was during the Depression and the thing about these stories is they’re about hope. They’re about being able to change your life or help other people change their lives and make them better in a lot of ways. In today’s world everyone needs that. Sometimes you just want to believe.

Marvel.com: If you guys have to choose a side, what side are you on – the X-Men or the Avengers’ side?

Adam Horowitz: X-Men, for me.

Eddy Kitsis: I’m going to pick Avengers, just so I can be on the opposite side of Adam [laughs].

Marvel.com: We know Eddy’s reasoning [laughs], but why the X-Men for you, Adam?

Adam Horowitz: Anyone who has something called a Danger Room can count on my support. It’s always been a dream of mine to have something called a Danger Room.